The Thread on omg!Madonna: Boys Called Me ‘Hairy Monster’ in High School
Before Britney, before Xtina, and long before Lady Gaga, Madonna broke the mold of what a female pop singer could and should be. The "Vogue" singer was phenomenally successful on the charts, and became a pop culture icon who seemed way too cool to care what anyone thinks of her. So who would have suspected that Madge is still haunted by her high school years? As crazy as it seems, it's true, the artist tells the December/January issue of Harper's Bazaar.
"For some reason, I feel like I never left high school, because I still feel that if you don't fit in, you're going to get your ass kicked," she explains. "That hasn't really changed for me. I've always been acutely aware of differences and the way you are supposed to act if you want to be popular."
And high school the first time, in suburban Detroit, Michigan, wasn't a ton of fun for Madonna, she reveals. "I saw how popular girls had to behave to get the boys. I knew I couldn't fit into that. So I decided to do the opposite," the "Borderline" songstress says. "I refused to wear makeup, to have a hairstyle. I refused to shave. I had hairy armpits. The boys in my school would make fun of me. [Calling me] 'hairy monster.' You know, things like that." (She doesn't have that problem now, and is in a relationship with gorgeous French break dancer Brahim Zaibat.)
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Madonna, whose mother died of breast cancer when she was just 5, confesses that she didn't begin to figure out who she was until she hung out at gay clubs while still a teen. "Straight men did not find me attractive," she notes. "I think they were scared of me because I was different. I've always asked, 'Why? Why do I have to do that? Why do I have to look this way? Why do I have to dress this way? Why do I have to behave this way?'"
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The star continues to be a rebel, even speaking out about the way the media treats her -- and all women -- today. "I find whenever someone writes anything about me, my age is right after my name," the New York resident says. "It's almost like they're saying, 'Here she is, but remember she's this age, so she's not that relevant anymore.' Or 'Let's punish her by reminding her and everyone else.' When you put someone's age down, you're limiting them."
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Well, as constricting as she may find it, Madonna's still relatively young age of 53 is worth noting because of all she's accomplished, which, among other things, includes a family of four children, an upcoming movie she co-wrote and directed, "W.E.," and a clothing line, Material Girl, that she runs with her daughter, Lola, 15 -- that is, when it doesn't interfere with Lola's biggest commitment. "I say to Lourdes, schoolwork always comes first, so anything that gets in the way of that falls by the wayside," Madonna tells the mag. "We put our energy in education." Still, she continues, "[Lola] loves fashion and style. She helps design the collection. I just stand in the background and watch. I proofread her blogs and edit them and give her a hard time when I think she's being a lazy writer."
The rest of the Madonna clan -- Rocco, 11, David, 6, and Mercy, 5 — is also directed not to take the easy way out. "I encourage all of my children to ask questions and investigate. I never want my children to come to me and say they want to do something because everyone else is doing it," she says. "That doesn't interest me at all. You need to tell me your personal reasons about why it will benefit you, what you're going to get out of it, what it means to you. Otherwise, you're just a robot. You're not thinking for yourself. Where would you go with your life with this kind of attitude?"
Definitely not as far as Madonna has!
Read Madonna's full interview with Harper's Bazaar in the December/January issue, on newsstands November 29.
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